Pawar pitches in as Cong, AAP make fresh efforts for alliance in Delhi

The Congress and the AAP on Tuesday made fresh efforts with the help of NCP chief Sharad Pawar to forge an alliance in Delhi for the Lok Sabha polls, days after they unanimously decided to go it alone in the national capital.

The NCP leader stepped up efforts for reconciliation between the two parties which have been making statements against each other, with AAP leader Sanjay Singh meeting Pawar at his residence here.

Pawar also held talks with some senior Congress leaders, including party president Rahul Gandhi, for bringing the Congress and the AAP together in Delhi, sources said.

In a separate meeting, Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit held discussions with the party's state unit working presidents Devender Yadav, Haroon Yusuf and Rajesh Lilothia at her residence.

Dikshit said she was against any alliance with the AAP but would abide by any decision taken by her party chief in this regard.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also made a fresh bid for alliance with the Congress in Punjab, Haryana and in Delhi on a ratio of five seats for it and two for the grand old party, the sources said.

The AAP also wants to contest on three seats in Punjab and two in Haryana, which it is demanding from the Congress, they said.

AAP's Sanjay Singh also discussed the proposal with Pawar, who is trying convince the AAP and Congress to field common candidates in all the seats to defeat the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls.

The Congress leadership is also in talks with AAP leaders and senior leaders within the party and are trying to convince Delhi Congress leaders for an alliance with the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, though they publicly maintain going alone, the sources said.

Congress's in-charge for Delhi, PC Chacko, said: "I am in consultation with Congress party leaders in Delhi on the possibilities of forging an alliance with AAP.

"The Congress Working Committee (CWC) has decided to align with like-minded parties across the country to defeat the BJP in Lok Sabha elections.

"I hope Delhi Congress leaders also go by this sentiment and decide on an alliance with AAP, but a final decision will be taken by the Congress president soon," Chacko told PTI.

Chacko's views are at variance with Dikshit, who has made it clear that aligning with AAP will not be in the party's interests keeping in view the assembly election in the national capital slated later.

"I am not in favour of alliance with AAP, but I would abide by any decision taken in this regard by the Congress president," she said after the meeting.

The Congress had earlier decided to go alone in Delhi after talks with AAP failed and local leaders favoured that the party contests LS polls alone. The Delhi Congress leaders felt that "saving" the party was crucial in Delhi in view of impending assembly elections in the state.

The Congress has been facing alliance troubles in Bihar and West Bengal, where it failed to forge alliance with the Left, and has been kept out of the 'mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) of SP-BSP-RLD in Uttar Pradesh. It is learnt that the Congress-RJD seat-sharing is also in troubled waters as they did not declare candidates on March 17 as promised.

Former BJP minister Yashwant Sinha, who is eyeing a ticket in Delhi, tweeted, "Unsolicited advice to Rahul Gandhi, please finalise your alliances in Bihar, Jharkhand, Delhi and elsewhere today. It is already too late."